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Hornz : A Purple Retrospective 1985 – 2016 #Prince
Before we get into this, as usual we’re doing a highlights reel here so for you “you forgot to mention” stuff I say this to you….)
Let's begin.
As an Alto Saxophone player in my previous life, I have a vested interest in bands with live horns in them. For me, I sometimes struggle with the synth horns sound of Prince in his earlier work because I just have a bias for the real thing…
So here tonight I want to shed a light on the horns players that played a part in the legacy of a one Professor #Prince Rogers Nelson.
Let's journey back to 1985...the Purple Rain tour... When people think of The Revolution, they think of these guys…
But when they toured, there were others who joined them. One of those others? Saxophonist and Flautist, Eric Leeds
Also during that Purple Rain Tour…there was an opener. That opener? Sheila E. A person in her band, and someone who also joined in with the Revolution/Sheila E supergroup? Saxophonist Eddie M…
Then came the Parade album & tour…Matthew Blistan (Atlanta Bliss) makes the scene to join his buddy Mr Leeds on Trumpet
There was also a side project…The Family. Eric helped out there too!
Then was the Sign of the Times Era...I want to spend some time here...
Something I feel like is a glaring omission from all this SOTT era talk…is a discussion of the Madhouse albums.
Sometimes The Professor mashed those tunes up with his own main ones…Again…take a gander…again It’s Gonna Be a Beautiful Night/6
And The Ballad of Dorothy Parker/4
Madhouse 8 was a Prince/Eric Leeds effort…(shout out to the OG band that made up The Flesh sessions btw…these 2 plus Sheila, Levi, Jonathan Melvoin, Lisa and Wendy)
While 16 had a fuller band… Prince, Eric Leeds, Dr. Fink, Levi Seacer, Dale Alexander, Sheila E (in different configurations depending how those songs were played)
There was even promotion for these projects! The Madhouse 10 music video premiered on BET's Video Soul featuring covergirl Maneca Lightner!
Check here to see what Maneca got up to with P and the gang during this time…via @podcastjuice http://podcastjuice.net/podcast-on-prince-maneca-lightner/
But yeah just…what’s up with omission of the Madhouse albums with all this promotion tho…that’s weird definitely part of the package for me! 
Moving on…
Lovesexy is the one! Eric Leeds and Atlanta Bliss are still here!
A favorite quote by Prince about the talents of Eric Leeds and Atlanta Bliss, as provided by Lovesexy band enthusiast, Twitterless Harold Pride : "You can get 6...7 cats that play horns on stage but they ain't doing that."
Keeping it trucking..Passing over the Nude tour…all synth horn lines here…
Though stopping to hear from Candy Dulfer on the Batman album…and on SNL…
To the introduction of the group that would formerly become known as…The Hornheads(z). Michael Nelson, Brian Gallagher, Kathy Henson, Dave Jensen, & Steve Strand.
This group will be with P on and off until his last released album HitnRun Phase 2!
This group will be with P on and off until his last released album HitnRun Phase 2!
While Eric was still around helping in the studio providing Flutestramentals and thangs like Gett Off and my personal fav of his Eye Hate U Quiet Night Mix in the 90’s....
And providing his talents to the unreleased Madhouse 24 (1994).
(Which by the way features a cover… Got 2 Give it up, the only vocal track on that album featuring a one Birthday woman…. Nona Gaye (September 4))
(Which by the way features a cover… Got 2 Give it up, the only vocal track on that album featuring a one Birthday woman…. Nona Gaye (September 4))
Check here for the 2 part @podcastjuice interview with him btw to hear about all of this and more…
Part 1 : http://podcastjuice.net/the-prince-podcast-eric-leeds-interview-part-1/
Part 2 : http://podcastjuice.net/the-prince-podcast-eric-leeds-interview-part-2/
Part 1 : http://podcastjuice.net/the-prince-podcast-eric-leeds-interview-part-1/
Part 2 : http://podcastjuice.net/the-prince-podcast-eric-leeds-interview-part-2/
Michael Nelson lead the Hornheads doing live arrangements of Prince’s work. In a series of tours and albums in the early 90s!
We'd see them on the Diamonds and Pearls tour...
We’d see them in the studio for the 1992 “Love Symbol” album on 8 of the 18 tracks : Sexy MF, Love 2 the 9’s, The Morning Papers, Arrogance, The Flow, And God Created Woman, 3 Chains O’ Gold, Sacrifice of Victor.
They also appear on 1993's NPG album Goldnigga (uncredited) : Goldnigga, Guess Who’s Knockin, Oilcan, Deuce and a Quarter, Black MF in the House, Goldie’s Parade, Together, Johnny
Gonna spotlight Black MF in the House here…
Gonna spotlight Black MF in the House here…
1994’s Come (As New Power Generation Hornz) : Come, Race, Dark, Letitgo
https://album.link/i/213035023
https://album.link/i/213035023
Sliding this in here though we'll cover these horns later...they play the horn lines fatefully!
1995’s The Gold Experience (As the NPG Hornz) : 319, Now, and of course…
Billy Jack Bitch… https://twitter.com/darlingnisi/status/1300283941501497344
Billy Jack Bitch… https://twitter.com/darlingnisi/status/1300283941501497344
This horn riff can also be found on their own album as New Dell Inn! (The story goes that P heard them playing this and had them do it on his song too!)
1996 saw the release of their work on Chaos and Disorder’s Right the Wrong and I Rock, Therefore I am
https://album.link/us/i/1421415671
https://album.link/us/i/1421415671
As well as 1996’s Emancipation…Courtin Time, Damned if I Do, Savior and Sleep Around https://album.link/us/i/1421451340
The swell on Savior! TWO BRANCHES ON THE SAME TREE Y’ALL! 
Understandably, you can also hear them on The Vault : Old Friends for Sale : The Rest of My Life, It’s About the Walk, She Spoke 2 Me, 5 Women and Sarah…most of these songs were tracked in the early 90’s so it lines up!
https://album.link/i/213034765
https://album.link/i/213034765
Then came the Rave albums. They’re now called the Hornheadz…and we have a new addition Kenni Holmen. They play on Hot Wit U. We also have a new person in the studio with The Professor…another Teacher a one Maceo Parker....
Here’s the story of how he joined up…
Maceo Parker played on Prince's Prettyman.
Maceo! Brotha...can you blow?
Maceo! Brotha...can you blow?
We have gap in horn work on the road though…we won’t see anyone with him after Act II until…
2000…with Najee holding it down! https://twitter.com/darlingnisi/status/1076338758658740224
A solo artist himself! Shout out to this song! Have You Ever Loved Somebody, my jam!
You can also hear him an album that is near and dear to my heart….
The Rainbow Children : Mellow & The Rainbow Children
https://album.link/us/i/1421413792
The Rainbow Children : Mellow & The Rainbow Children
https://album.link/us/i/1421413792
See more about Najee via a one @Miss_EThompson's interview with him here!
http://www.apurpledayindecember.com/2019/01/rise-rainbow-children-rise-interview.html
http://www.apurpledayindecember.com/2019/01/rise-rainbow-children-rise-interview.html
The Hornheads are also back on this album too! The Work Part 1, Everywhere, Mellow and Everlasting now!
The horn section from my favorite associated tour, the One Nite Alone (though not consistently) Greg Boyer, Candy Dulfer, Najee, Eric Leeds, And Maceo Parker
Keep your body moving….to Musicology!
On the album you’ll hear Candy, Maceo & Greg (though not always together) on : Life 'O’ The Party, Cinnamon Girl, The Marrying Kind, If Eye Was The Man In Ur Life and On The Couch
https://album.link/us/i/1421413593
On the album you’ll hear Candy, Maceo & Greg (though not always together) on : Life 'O’ The Party, Cinnamon Girl, The Marrying Kind, If Eye Was The Man In Ur Life and On The Couch
https://album.link/us/i/1421413593
On the road and in the studio we have…Maceo Parker, Candy Dulfer, Greg Boyer and Mike Phillips.
During the Vegas Run and the Planet Earth stop at the O2 we had Maceo Parker, Mike Phillips, Greg Boyer, and Lee Hogans during the 3121 era... Ray Monteiro on horns too! 3121, Satisfied, Get on the Boat
https://album.link/us/i/1421415958
https://album.link/us/i/1421415958
On Planet Earth, the album they also lend their talents to a one Chelsea Rodgers. https://twitter.com/PrincePartyUK/status/1257812885369167873
And in the Lotusflow3r collection they’re on the track $.
Let’s now jump to 2010…and the start of the Welcome 2 tour…the tour when things like this happened…
Those horns… part an 11 Piece Ensemble. While they didn’t always perform together, they did play in different configurations for the rest of Prince’s years with us and in support of Prince’s Protégés...
Sylvester Onyejiaka, BK Jackson, Marcus Anderson, Adrian Crutchfield, Keith Anderson, Lynn Grissett, Steve Reid, Phil Lassiter, Nick Marchione, Roy Agee, Joey Rayfield...the NPG Hornz
I don't know why, but in my brain I think of these guys as Prince's adopted sons... 
Check out the crew with Andy Allo in People Pleaser…
And more of the crew with Liv Warfield in this amazing time of her singing Soul Lifted… https://twitter.com/darlingnisi/status/1231090974560002050
Would also like to take the time to have a moment with this bridge of Xtraloveable when it happens live (again because real horns are here…I prefer this version over the 80’s one. Not sorry for saying so).
I also must take this time to point out a very special moment that happened at the last Celebration at Paisley Park. The time when they played Shade of Umber. It meant a lot because not only is it an amazing song, but they played it with local young people!
As a "fan", the only way you knew that song is if you knew about this…something that happened in Montreux in 2013…
This is one of the most special arrangements ever associated to #Prince for me. Wow. Listen to this band y'all!
This is one of the most special arrangements ever associated to #Prince for me. Wow. Listen to this band y'all!
It was a really special moment…shout out to Phil Lassiter! See here for more about him working as a horn arranger for Prince, also via @podcastjuice.
http://podcastjuice.net/prince-podcast-philip-lassiter-interview/
http://podcastjuice.net/prince-podcast-philip-lassiter-interview/
Back to the albums tho…
2014’s Art Official Age saw the return of the Hornheads! The Gang is back on Gold Standard!
https://song.link/us/i/911631225
2014’s Art Official Age saw the return of the Hornheads! The Gang is back on Gold Standard!
https://song.link/us/i/911631225
And they’re also on Hitnurn Phase One’s Million $ Show and Fallinlove2nite
https://album.link/us/i/1440937466
https://album.link/us/i/1440937466
(The NPG Hornz also lend themselves to Like A Mack from this album)
On Phase 2 the Hornheadz are back with a vengeance! Featured on 6 tracks : Baltimore, Rocknroll Loveaffair, Xtraloveable, Groovy Potential, When She Comes and Black Muse
But the NPG Hornz are too! On Look At Me, Look At U, Stare, Big City… & Revelation
https://album.link/i/1068030454
But the NPG Hornz are too! On Look At Me, Look At U, Stare, Big City… & Revelation
https://album.link/i/1068030454
Who has TWO whole separate horns sections?
PRINCE THAT’S WHO!
PRINCE THAT’S WHO!
The young cats got credit for their arrangements. Adrian Crutchfield on RocknRoll Love Affair, Marcus Anderson on Look At Me, Look at U and Stare, Joey Rayfield and Lynn Grisset also on Stare, and Phill Lassiter for the arrangement on Big City.
And finally the last known project by P…still unreleased but we got a taste on Tidal…Ruff Enuff https://twitter.com/MonoNeon/status/1251647364714151940
Is it on the unreleased Black is the New Black? Remains to be seen…more about that album here via @Miss_EThompson in her interview with Adrian Crutchfield @goodsax http://www.apurpledayindecember.com/2019/02/black-is-new-black-interview-with.html
Okay! That. Was. A lot, huh?
There are the names we know of the musicians who worked with Prince, but there are others who have been with him over decades who don’t get the proper respect as being part of his legacy.
These musicians were ones who played instruments Prince didn’t…and he trusted them to do what they needed to do, or often even wrote the arrangements for instruments he didn’t play.
Let’s hear it for these folks who live in the shadow of his work…and let’s give them the recognition they deserve! For all who contributed to this great purple legacy, thank you!
